Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset's population grew in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure and health.

The population reached nearly 180,000

In the 10 years leading up to the latest census, the population of Bath and North East Somerset increased by 4.1%, from just over 169,000 to 176,000.

The addition of almost 7,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Bath and North East Somerset was home to, on average, 3.6 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Bath and North East Somerset

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Bath and North East Somerset increased by one year, from 39 to 40 years.

This city had a lower average age than the South West and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 4,200 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 4,000.

About 15% of people in Bath and North East Somerset are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South West and Bath and North East Somerset by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More students

The percentage of Bath and North East Somerset residents that were studying increased from 3.5% to 5.1% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under one in two (50%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 52% in 2001. The percentage of Bath and North East Somerset residents that were unemployed increased from 2.0% to 2.7%.

The proportion of students increased faster here than in any other local authority district across the South West. As a result, this area had the region’s second highest proportion of students.

Exeter had the South West's highest proportion of students (5.6%), while Bristol had the region's third highest proportion (4.8%).

The percentage of students in Bath and North East Somerset increased by 1.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Bath and North East Somerset, the South West and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

Bath and North East Somerset saw the South West's third-largest rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

In 2011, just under 1 in 25 (3.9%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Bath and North East Somerset said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 2.5% in 2001. The percentage that worked over 49 hours in a week decreased from 13% to 9.9%.

Across the region, only Exeter (from 2.6% to 4.1%) and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (from 2.2% to 3.6%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

Every local authority area across the South West saw a rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week, as the regional average grew from 2.1% to 3.2%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Bath and North East Somerset increased by 1.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Bath and North East Somerset, the South West and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Bath and North East Somerset with children remained close to 26% between the last two censuses.

The percentage that had no children remained close to 65%, while the percentage of households in Bath and North East Somerset with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 8.7% to 8.6%.

The proportion of households with children fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South West (from 28% in 2001 to 27% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 30% to 29%.

The proportion of households with children was lower than across the South West

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in the South West and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Bath and North East Somerset

The percentage of Bath and North East Somerset residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.4% to 3.0% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.2%, while the percentage of Bath and North East Somerset residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 90%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South West (from 3.0% in 2001 to 3.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the South West

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South West and the average across England, March 2011

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